Induction and Cesarean – but happy mom

Great story of how Hypnobabies can help and work great in all different type of birth situations.

I am writing the story of Jonathan’s birth to help anyone who may be having anxiety over induction, c-section or unforseen birth plan changes.

****As a quick disclaimer, I chose to be induced. So don’t read if induction/c-section is something you want to keep out of your consciousness. This is a happy story though! : )***

So….

I was very faithful in my Hypnobabies practice. I came in like many of you, a bit worried that I wasn’t doing hypnosis correctly, and then asking myself, would it really work? But I decided to just trust in the practice even though I sometimes felt like I wasn’t “going under”.

Jonathan was 12 days overdue with no signs of coming out. I know, I know, I could have let him come out when he was ready, but the fact is that I was waking at night and couldn’t catch my breath. It was very difficult to find positions that kept weight off the vena cava. In my heart, I felt I was causeing him undue distress. So we made the decision to induce. I knew all the what ifs, but because I felt prepared and had listened to “Affirmations” a million times, I was comfortable with whatever was to come.

My hypnosis worked exactly as I needed it to on the inducement/birthing day. I chose only to listen to the track for going to hospital, as well as “Deepening.” I had a plan to listen to loads of tracks in a specific order, but when I was actually living my birth experience, I found that letting go of what I “had to” do made things easier. The confidence to let go was a direct result of doing Hypnobabies for months prior to the birth. So I just listened to these 2 tracks because that is what felt comfortable.

I don’t feel that I actually went into deep hypnosis, but I think it’s because I chose to listen to Hypnobabies here and there, rather than really putting the effort into going into a deep hypnosis. I was just so excited and having such a great time laughing and talking with my family, that I didn’t want to stop to listen to my iPod. So perhaps I actually was under hypnosis…I’ll never know!

I labored for about 8 hours. It was not pain free, but the pain was certainly manageable when I used my breathing and finger drop. When I learned that Jonathan was indeed having difficulty in the womb (meconium present, difficulty breathing) my doctors were supportive of whatever decision I wanted. He could have been born vaginally, but he would have had to go through a lot to do so. In the end it was me who decided to receive a c-section.

I immediately put on “Change of Plans.” I did feel a bit panicked at first I admit, because I never visualized a c-section, but that track was really comforting.

When Jonathan was born, both eyes were full of blood, he had meconium that was a few days old on his little body, and a large hematoma on his head from straining to come out. Again, I know many will say that this could have been avoided, and is just a natural part of the process and I truly respect that. But I have to say that my reasons for a c-section were that I just wanted my little baby to have as few hurdles as possible in coming out.

After the birth, all the nurses marveled that I refused pain killers and left the hospital a day early. I was not trying to be a hero, I truly felt well. And baby Jonathan was/is just a perfect little miracle.

I just want to present this different perspective on birth because while I did not forsee an inducement or c-section, my experience was joyful, beautiful and full of love all around. We all tend to focus on worrying what will happen during the birthing waves and transformation; “Will Hypnobabies work? What if there’s pain?! How do I know the finger drop is working?” And of course, these are extremely valid worries!

But, in my humble opinion, it’s important to remember that Hypnobabies works in so many other ways during the entire birth experience. Talking confidently to doctors, taking control of yourself and baby, and actually enjoying the birthing process are all part of the birth experience. Additionally, all the physical benefits of meditation/hypnosis have been well documented.

So to anyone who is worried about inducement, just remember that Hypnobabies doesn’t necessarily have to be an “either/or” choice. It works very well with whatever type of birth experience you have. The preparation helped me to be confident, joyful, positive and healthy.